A Weave in time

Wow, I was supposed to blog at least once a month. When did it become September? Still been busy packing and cleaning up my Mom’s house. Since she works so much I’ve been left to go through all her and my little brother’s belongings. Been throwing away TONS of stuff. Having a hard time of it, but I’m trying to get rid of how much stuff I have as well. Its ridiculous how people can accumulate junk!

I learned to weave and I absolutely love it.

(My new current project, making a larger and longer Yarn Pirate Killer bees scarf that is for me)

This is a Ashford Rigid Heddle Loom 16″ with the loom stand. I purchased it from Winderwood Farms which I highly recommend. Free shipping is always nice as well! I’ve had it for about a month now and this thing can belt out scarves.

I learned how to warp, weave and finish a scarf all in one day! This one has a ton of mistakes as I didn’t put enough tension on the warp. I used some leftover Fleece Artist Baby Alpaca (from the Handmaiden throw) as weft (as in left and right) and Knit Picks Bare Merino DK as the Warp (up and down). My first woven scarf was finished in one day, soft and uglier than Grandma’s couch. So I put a large pot on the stovetop, added some Kool Aid and overdyed it.

For my second scarf I used one skein of Yarn Pirate Merino Sock in Killer Bees as the warp and weft. Even though I used fingering yarn this was done in under two days. Its a little on the short side, but thats how my friends likes her scarves. My selvages weren’t the best either. Its a lot easier to keep the selvages even when your working with a thicker weight yarn. Still, it made for a very light and soft scarf.

This one is my favorite by far. I used Handmaiden Ottawa in dark Hercules as the warp and weft. Its a lot more bigger than the scarves I usually make but since weaving makes a light fabric its not cumbersome to wear. It was kind of itchy off the loom so I soaked it in hair conditinoer. I see myself wearing this often come winter.

My selvages are much better here. As pretty as the yarn was, I don’t reccomend single ply yarns for weaving. It tends to ’stick’ more to the other threads, not to mention the breakage that can occur!

I LOVE the color of this scarf. I used 2 skeins of Handpaintedyarn.com Merino Bulky in Odds’n Ends 10. Very lovely project from beginning to end, although the dye did rub off on the heddle. It also took forever to rinse clean! This one is destined for my mother in law and I hope she likes it.

Still working on my Koigu scarf, it seems like all my other hobbies has taken a back seat to weaving. My spinning has reached a complete standstill because I think I want a wheel. Not just any wheel, a Bosworth Journey wheel. Since my loom isn’t very space-conscious I need a wheel that is and the Journey fits the bill. I’ll have to wait quite a while though, there is a waiting line for them and it will probably take until next year! I think weaving has ruined me, my patience for spinning just flew out the door.